|
August 25, 2021
|
Volume 11, No. 51
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Convention resolutions due September 4
Resolutions are due to the Secretary of Convention, Canon Katie Easterlin, by September 4, 2021, in order to be considered by the convention. The rules of Convention governing resolutions are found in the Canons of the Diocese of Georgia and are reproduced here for reference:
- Resolutions on non-budget items to be placed before Diocesan Convention, except those from Diocesan Council and Convention Committees, must be submitted to the Secretary of the Diocese in writing at least sixty days prior to said Convention.
- The Secretary will make the resolutions available to the convocations of the Diocese for study and response before the Convention and will provide for their publication in From the Field, at the latest, in the issue next preceding Convention. The Canons of the Diocese are coordinating to visit pre-Convention convocation meetings.
-
Any proposed alteration or addition to the Canons proposed on the first day of the meeting of the Convention, shall be submitted in writing to the Chairperson of the Committee on Constitution and Canons at least sixty (60) days prior to the opening of the Convention. No such proposed alteration or addition shall be considered by the Convention until it has been referred to and reported upon by the Committee on Constitution and Canons. Every amendment or alteration proposed on any succeeding day of the Convention session shall be similarly referred and reported upon but may not be adopted without the consent of two-thirds of the delegates present. The Committee on Constitution and Canons may propose alterations on its own volition at any time. Changes approved at Convention shall go into effect immediately following the adjournment of that Convention.
- So that content and intent may be clearly understood, any resolution submitted, except those of a laudatory nature, shall be titled and include a summary of its content and purpose. Said summary shall be read when resolutions are presented for referral or vote.
As a reminder, the task force for Constitutions and Canons is working on recommendations for changes to the canons. The comment period on their work is open until August 28. To submit a comment, click here, and to view their work, click here.
|
|
|
Nominations for Convention now open
Nominations for positions on Diocesan committees are now open. Delegates will vote on each position during the 200th Convention.
The following positions are up for election. Be sure to get permission before nominating someone other than yourself.
BOARD of OFFICERS of THE CORPORATION - 1 lay person
The Board of Officers is charged with the oversight of the investments and disbursements of those funds entrusted to it through wills, deeds, and other trust instruments. The board meets quarterly. The person elected at Convention 2021 will serve through the Convention in 2028.
CHURCH DISCIPLINARY BOARD - 3 clergy persons & 2 lay persons
Previously known as "The Ecclesiastical Trial Court," the Disciplinary Board of the Diocese of Georgia is vested with jurisdiction to hear and determine all proceedings in which a priest or deacon has been charged with one or more offenses specified in the canons of the Episcopal Church. It meets only when necessary. The 3 clergy persons and 2 lay persons elected will serve a three-year term through Convention 2024.
DIOCESAN COUNCIL - 1 lay person or clergy person
Council's responsibilities are to carry out the policies, programs and directions of Convention; to deal with contingencies as they arise; and to assist the bishop in developing the ministry of the diocese. It carries out the duties of Convention between Conventions. Council generally has four meetings a year in various parts of the diocese. Some take place in one day and some require an overnight stay. The person elected will serve a three-year term through Convention 2024.
STANDING COMMITTEE - 1 lay person & 1 priest
The Standing Committee is the bishop's Council of Advice. In the absence of a bishop, the Standing Committee acts as the Ecclesiastical Authority for those purposes declared by General Convention. The Standing Committee must approve all ordinations and any financial indebtedness of parishes. It usually meets four times a year at the same time as the Commission on Ministry and in various locations throughout the diocese. The persons elected will serve a four-year term through Convention 2025.
TRUSTEE of the UNIVERSITY of the SOUTH - 1 lay person
The board meets in Sewanee, TN, early in October each year. The two lay persons and one priest who serve on the board from the Diocese of Georgia are to represent the university to the diocese. The layperson elected will serve a three-year term through Convention 2024.
To submit a nomination click here. Once nominated, the nominee will need to fill out this form. To view the current list of nominations, click here.
|
|
Register now for our 200th Convention
Registration for delegates, guests, and vendors is now open! When you click on the registration link below, you will be taken to Realm, our new online directory. While in Realm, please take the time to update or create your account. This will help the diocese update their records and be able to use the Realm database to its fullest capacity.
Vendors will not only need to register, but to also submit an application, which is found here. All exhibit requests are subject to approval by the Bishop's office. Applications are due no later than October 1, 2021. Vendor applications must be approved before registering for convention.
This year during Diocesan Convention at Jekyll Island, as we did in 2014, we will have our Friday evening Eucharist at Honey Creek, and end the evening with a celebration! Last May the Diocese had planned a weekend of events for Bishop Logue's ordination and consecration as the 11th Bishop of Georgia. Our gathering at Honey Creek will give us the opportunity to finally celebrate together as Diocese and new Bishop. When you register for Convention you will have the opportunity to sign up for the Honey Creek celebration at a minimal cost. Those who are not attending the full Convention will have an opportunity to register for the Honey Creek celebration at a later time if space allows. We're also looking for your input. The Diocese provided shuttles to Honey Creek during the Revival with Presiding Bishop Curry, and we'd like to know if there would be interest in a shuttle from Jekyll Island to Honey Creek. To vote in the poll, click here. Register Individually Each delegate must register individually. This is important step will assist us to populate our new ACS Realm DataBase and is a necessary step with that system to use a separate email address for each person registered.
To register for Convention, click here. Please note that registration is needed for each individual instead of a group registration.
|
|
Epiphany in Savannah hosted a vaccine clinic
 On August 18 the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Savannah hosted a Covid vaccine clinic at Emmaus House for our homeless neighbors. Donated restaurant gift cards and donuts provided additional incentive for our friends to receive the vaccine. Apollo Pharmacy delivered the shots. Epiphany facilitates distribution of clothes and camping gear from the Emmaus House clothing closet on Wednesday mornings and works closely with the Community of St Joseph. If you have any gently used camping gear or clothing you can drop them off at Emmaus house weekdays before 1PM.
Emmaus House is an unrestricted soup kitchen; no one is ever turned away, no  questions asked. It is a place of respite from the outside elements for individuals experiencing homelessness. The clients come from shelters, homeless camps and/or living on the street. Emmaus House believes that everyone, regardless of their circumstance, has the right to a hot meal, clean clothing and a hot shower.
Epiphany is a mission church that worships at the Front Porch Improv Theater on Victory Drive in Savannah on Sundays and hosts a Wednesday evening prayer service at the Savannah PRIDE Center.
|
|
Youth Covid Guidelines
Our Diocese has a strong tradition of Ministry with Youth. As we follow in that tradition, we are called to balance our desire to engage in potentially transformative ministries with our young people with our need to minimize the risk to their health. Covid- 19 has fundamentally altered this equation over the past year and a half. During that time, we have gained experience at gathering youth together while mitigating risks.
At this time, we intend to hold our in-person events this fall. In order to increase our chances of doing so while minimizing the risks to participants, the Diocese of Georgia is implementing the following precautions:
- Covid-19 Vaccinations are now required for any overnight event for all who are eligible.
- Everyone must bring proof of a negative Covid-19 test administered within 96 hours of the start of the event (Monday or later, for an event that starts on a Friday).
- We will make use of Honey Creek's beautiful outdoor spaces as much as possible, and will have fans on and windows open much of the time while indoors.
- Masks must be worn while indoors at all times, except when eating or sleeping, regardless of vaccination status.
- Registration numbers will be limited to allow for greater spacing both in the dorms and during events.
|
|
Happening #104 to be held in September
Happening #104 is scheduled to be IN PERSON at Honey Creek September 17-19, 2021, and we are so excited!
Candidate registration is open! In order to allow for some spacing and to follow the new guidelines for overnight youth events, we are limiting the total number of Candidates and Staff to fifty people. We are so excited to finally be able to meet again. In order to do so with reduced risk, we will adhere to the updated Diocesan policies regarding vaccination and testing for Covid for all participants and staff. The Georgia Happening website is updated and will continue to be updated as we move closer to our Happening date! Remember the BEST is yet to come!
To view the new guidelines for overnight youth events, click here.
|
|
A Word About Deacons
Each week we will have a submission from a deacon that will explore topics like what a deacon is, what they do, their history, and other stories.
Geri Nelson was ordained in Western North Carolina on December 18, 1999 and is currently serving at Calvary Episcopal Church in Americus, Ga. She recalls feeling God's hand in her life for years and throughout those years, hearing a call to be ordained. Feeling unworthy and unprepared, she prayed that God would do more than "whisper" in her prayers. Wanting to be obedient, she prayed for clarity. During coffee hour one Sunday at St. James, Hendersonville, three different parishioners asked her if she had ever considered being ordained to the diaconate. Perhaps their voices were an answer to her prayer for clarity? In a continuing conversation with her priest, Fr. Alex Viola, she decided that she was not sure that God's will was ordination, but that she would prayerfully continue in the process "until someone tells me No.". Three years later she was ordained by The Right Reverend Robert H Johnson at Trinity Episcopal Church, Asheville, NC.
Her initial diaconal ministry was as a chaplain to victims of Domestic Violence in the local battered women's shelter. During that time, she founded The Henderson County Coalition Against Family Violence, comprised of representatives from all the county and city agencies responding to domestic violence and rape victims. Now in Americus, she serves at the local food pantry, the Christian Services Ministry organization, the newly forming Americus-Sumter County Civil Rights Museum, and the church Thrift Store, which funds outreach ministries in the community.
As with many, ministries may change over time. But, Geri reminds us, the one constancy in all ministry addresses the belief that "Why we do what we do matters at least as much as what we do!" Whenever called to a particular outreach ministry it is helpful to ask, "In whose Name do I offer myself?" It's not about us. It's never about us. It's always about how God seeks to work through us to serve the needs of others. In whose Name we offer a cup of water is what matters, not the person holding the cup.
Servanthood is something every Christian is called to by virtue of their baptism (and confirmation). As a Deacon, our call is to servant ministry in the community in which we live AND to encourage others to join us in serving others according to the spiritual gifts God has already bestowed upon them. We ALL have particular gifts for ministry - every single one of us! Part of the work of a Deacon inside the church is to lift up the laity to recognize their individual gifts, and help them to use those gifts to serve Christ by reaching out to all God's people in the world.
|
|
The Rev. Victor Moreno to be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on Saturday
The Rev. Victor Moreno will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on Saturday, August 28 at 11:00 am at The Collegiate Church of St. Paul in Savannah. The service will be streamed on St. Paul's Facebook page, found here. Moreno grew up in Mexico City, where he spent his first 17 years before his family moved to Chicago in 1988. Raised in the Roman Catholic Church, he found his way into the Anglican Church through a friend in Mexico. In 2008, he was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church in North America. After moving to Savannah in 2012 to work for Mitsubishi, Moreno found his way into the Episcopal Church through St. Paul's, Savannah, where he worshipped in the Spanish language liturgy. After some years attending the Episcopal Church, he entered the Holy Orders process in the Diocese of Georgia to discern a call to the priesthood. Moreno completed the Alternate Clergy Training at Sewanee to prepare anew for ordained ministry. Bishop Scott Benhase ordained Moreno as a deacon on May 2, 2020, as he was completing the training at Sewanee.
|
|
Episcopal ministries continue to work during crises
 We've seen and heard about two world events recently - the earthquake in Haiti and those who assisted the US trying to flee Afghanistan. If you are looking for ways to help, the Episcopal Church has ministries that are already doing good work directly with those who are in need of services. Episcopal Migration Ministries welcomes refugees, educates communities, and mobilizes congregations to advocate for the protection and rights of all migrants. They are partnered with agencies within the United States to resettle those who are fleeing their home country. To read more about their current work with refugees from Afghanistan, click here for an article by Episcopal News Service.
Assisting Haiti after the EarthquakeEpiscopal Relief and Development is known to our diocese, especially during storm season, but they also  operate worldwide. They have been in Haiti since the last natural disaster and are continuing to work with the people of Haiti in assessing the newest list of needs in the community. To read more about ERD's current work in Haiti, click here for an article by Episcopal New Service.
|
|
New Banner needed for All Saints Chapel in Sewanee
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia is one of twenty-eight constituent dioceses that affirms and strengthens the Episcopal identity of Sewanee: The University of the South. The Episcopal University houses the College of Art and Sciences, School of Letters, Sewanee Writers' and Young Writers' Conferences, The Chorale Institute, Sewanee Environmental Institute, and the Summer Music Festival. Nestled away from the main campus along Tennessee Avenue is The School of Theology where budding seminarians are prepared for life in ordained and lay ministry. In addition to the regular curriculum, The School of Theology also runs key continuing education and self-development programs for lay persons and clergy that include The Beecken Center, Education for Ministry (EfM), Invite Welcome Connect, Sewanee Ministry Collaborative and the SUMMA Student Theological Debate Society for high school students.
 Each Sewanee diocese has a banner that is hung along the corridors inside All Saints Chapel located on the main University campus. The Diocese of Georgia's existing banner at the Chapel needs to be changed in order to reflect the Diocesan seal rather than the Coat of Arms (learn more about our two emblems here).
The clergy in the Diocese of Georgia bought a banner with the diocesan seal and gave it to the Diocese at Bishop Frank Logue's consecration in May 2020. Trevor Floyd arranged having that banner created for us with beautiful stitching by Juliet Hemingray. Trevor has also done another diocese's banner for All Saints Chapel and will work with the University on making sure that the Diocese of Georgia's banner will meet the standards of the University and be installed properly. The cost of the banner is also reduced since the design work has already been done.
The Sewanee Trustees would like to appeal to the Sewanee Alumni and friends of Sewanee to consider contributing towards the purchase and installation of the new banner at All Saints Chapel. Donations can be made to the Diocese of Georgia with indication that it is for the "Sewanee Banner" and sent to Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, 18 E 34th St, Savannah, GA 31401. The Diocese will inform you when our fundraising goal is met. If any excess funds remain, these will go towards the Sewanee School of Theology Scholarship Fund that supports seminarians in residence.
|
|
Register for the Fall Clergy Conference
The Fall Clergy Conference will be held Monday, September 27 - Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at Honey Creek. We will begin with dinner on Monday and end after lunch on Wednesday.
We hope this time apart with one another will be a period of rest and refreshment, and will provide opportunities for in-depth conversation among colleagues. We will also be learning about three offerings that you can bring back to your congregations, for little to no cost: Sacred Ground, Transforming Questions, and Sharing Faith Dinners.
The registration link for Clergy Conference can be found here.
|
|
National Grand Ultreya Online
Be refreshed by the inspiration of the National Grand Ultreya. For the first time ever, the secretariat of the Episcopal Cursillo Ministry is presenting a nationwide Zoom Ultreya on line. You will hear from Presiding Bishop Curry and a few bishops from across the country. There will be a lay witness talk and responders. You will recognize some of the people participating in the event. It is easy to register to be invited to watch this National Grand Ultreya. Go to the website www.episcopalcursilloministry.org, there you will find the link to register your name and email. Then you will receive an email giving you the link to sign in on August 21st. The Diocese of Georgia will be better represented than most dioceses of our church as the Rev. Hallock Martin of St. Matthew's, Fitzgerald, and Bishop Frank Logue have also been asked to offer their reflections as a part of this national Cursillo event. The event happens August 21, 2021 at 1 p.m. You will hear Cursillo music from groups from around America. What an awesome way to stay encourage during these times of uncertainty. God is with us always. Cursillo and our beloved community can help us stay connected with our Lord Jesus Christ and with each other. If you have questions, reach out to Rose Wilson at (912) 506-9799,
|
|
Last week for comments to the Constitutions and Canons task force
Aware of ways in which our current diocesan canons were inconsistent and in some cases our practices had changed while the canons had not, Bishop Logue appointed a Task Force to review the Constitution and Canons and make recommendations for changes. The members of the group are Pat Burau, Nancy Moak, Cuffy Sullivan, The Rev. David Lemburg, and The Rev. Nick Roosevelt (chair).
The Process of Revisions The Task Force created this PDF file outlining their work Task Force Process which included a thorough review of how our diocesan canons align with the current canons of the Episcopal Church as well as comparing our canons to those of other Episcopal Dioceses. To review the Constitution and Canons, as proposed (along with other helpful documents), go to bit.ly/2021GACanonsNC or copy that link in a browser.
Notice and Comment Period As you review these proposed amendments, the Task Force asks that you, as a stakeholder in this Convention and in our shared governance, offer comment on some or all of their work thus far. They commit to continue in prayer as we receive these comments and apply them to our final offering submitted to the Committee on Constitution and Canons. Comments will be received through 11:59 PM EDT, Saturday, August 28.
|
|
|
Prayers for Weekly Liturgies
Our one-year prayer cycle combines prayers for every congregation in the Diocese of Georgia with prayers for our ecumenical partners and for our Companion Diocese of The Dominican Republic.
August 29 - September 4
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, St. George's and St. Michael and All Angels. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Savannah, especially the Catholic congregations of Blessed Sacrament, Resurrection of our Lord, Sacred Heart, and St. James. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Paul and St. Luke (San Pablo y San Lucas) in San Isidro.
September 5 - 11
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, especially St. Thomas Isle of Hope and St. Matthew's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Savannah, especially Holy Spirit Lutheran Church and St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in San Pedro de Marorís, especially The Good Shepherd (El Buen Pastor), St. Stephen (San Esteban), and Holy Cross (Santa Cruz).
Additional Prayer Cycles
|
|
|
Diocesan Office Update and News
Canon Lasch will preach at St. Paul's in Savannah on Sunday.
Canon Varner will celebrate and preach at St. Michael's and All Angels in Savannah on Sunday.
Bishop Logue will be on vacation beginning on August 20. Though he will return on August 27, Bishop Logue will be on the road for his first days back at work. He will celebrate the ordination of the Rev. Victor Moreno to the Sacred Order of Priests on Saturday, August 28 at The Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah. On Sunday, August 29, he will make his visitation to St. James' in Quitman. He will be back in the office on August 31. Contact Canon Loren Lasch at llasch@gaepiscopal.org with any needs.
To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated 8/16/2021)
Executive Director of Honey Creek Dade Brantley is on vacation this week.
You may reach diocesan staff by phone at (912) 236-4279. Given staff schedules of meetings and travel, the best way to reach a staff member is via email as we will always get back with you promptly in many cases and in 24-72 hours when working on more pressing matters.
Staff e-mails can be found here with a list of responsibilities so you know who to contact for what.
|
|
|
Let Us Know!
What are you doing to keep community right now? Send any updates or photos to our Communications Manager Liz Williams at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org. We want to hear from you!
|
Reporting for duty
Acolytes at Christ Church in Savannah are masked, robed, and ready to go!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
